Nebraska: Crete Public Schools moves forward with random drug testing of 7th-12th graders

[Eugene]

Source: Nebraska Examiner

Crete Public Schools moves forward with random drug testing of 7th-12th graders

First tests planned for next month; policy budgeted for up to $25,000 through May, though the cost will likely fall depending on how many eligible students are required to be in the testing program

BY: ZACH WENDLING - AUGUST 15, 2023 12:24 AM

CRETE, Nebraska — School board officials in Crete decided to follow through with a random drug testing policy among students despite nearly a dozen speakers Monday night objecting to the policy.

Crete school board president Justin Kuntz on Monday night described what he viewed as the importance of the policy after seeing an increase in substance use in the school community.

The policy, approved unanimously last month with other consent agenda items, would require students in seventh through 12th grades who participate in extracurricular, nongraded activities, as well as those who have obtained school parking lot passes, to be entered into a “pool” for testing.

Once or twice each month, a selection of students will be randomly selected for urine testing, which the policy describes as similar to tests for those who hold a commercial driver’s license. Each test will cost the school district $36 and includes screening for alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, nicotine and opiates.

-snip-

Read more: https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2023/08/15/crete-public-schools-moves-forward-with-random-drug-testing-of-7th-12th-graders/

Alternate link: https://news.yahoo.com/nebraska-district-moves-forward-random-120000605.html

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Teaching kids to be compliant dummies for the Right Wing state

[hlthe2b]

2. Do they consider what this will do to a great proportion of the kids who don't & would NOT do drugs?

Essentially "criminalizing" every kid in school... Geez.

[ProfessorGAC]

3. Testing For Alcohol?

I think not.
For $36 they aren't getting the limit of detection or method precision to detect alcohol content in urine.
The best methodology (GC/MS) might detect the metabolite of interest (Ethyl Glucorinide) to a but under a part per million, but they're not getting that for that price.
The colorimetric tests advertise they're sensitive for moderate consumption for 24-48 hours. I call that "just say no" style propaganda, and do not believe it at all.
My take is they will get 100% negative for alcohol, which means they're paying for something they don't need.
Silly policy overall, even dumber if they think they can test accurately for 8 analytes for $36.
Whose brother works for the testing lab?
Also, Crete is a city of 7,000. That suggests about 1,400 students, total. That's about 550 kids grades 7-12. $25,000 pays for 700 tests. It's random, but more than the total student population will tested? Hmmm.